ANNAPOLIS, Maryland (AP) — The U.S. Naval Academy no longer considers race, ethnicity, or gender as factors in admissions to service agencies, in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order, according to federal court documents Friday.
The policy changes were made in February by the Academy’s superintendent, Vice-General Yvette David, in response to an executive order issued in January by President Donald Trump, filed by the US Department of Justice in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The president’s order on January 27th stated, “All elements of the military should operate freely from preferences based on race and gender.” He also directed the Secretary of Defense to conduct an internal review on all “activities designed to promote racial or gender-based preference systems,” including reviews of the Service Academy.
“Under the revised internal guidance issued by the superintendent on February 14, 2025, race, ethnicity, or gender cannot be considered a factor of admission at any time during the admission process, including accreditation and acceptance,” the court’s application was published Friday.
This decision will be made after a federal judge. It was ruled in December The academy is able to continue to consider race during the admissions process. In that case, the judge found that military cohesion and other national security factors mean that schools should not be exposed to the same standards as private universities.
In a two-week bench trial in September, the academy’s lawyers argued that it would be stronger, more effective and more widely respected by prioritizing military diversity.
The lawsuit against the policy was filed by the group’s students for fair admission. This was appealing for the judge’s decision.
In its application Friday, the Justice Department asked to suspend the current briefing schedule for the case while parties are considering changes to the academy’s policies.
“The parties will need reasonable time to discuss the details of the Academy’s new policy and consider the appropriate next step in this case to consider the appropriate next step in this case.
Edward Blum, president of Fair Enrollment Students, praised the Academy’s decision.
“Fair enrollment students welcome the announcement that the U.S. Naval Academy will end unfair and illegal racial-based admissions policies. Racism is wrong, and racial classification does not exist in our country’s military academies,” Blum said in a statement.
A Democrat Maryland, who serves on the Academy’s Visitors Committee, criticized the change, saying “This disastrous decision has negative implications for recruiting and maintaining the military for decades to come.”
“The Navy and Marines, which reflect the diversity of our country, are our strongest Navy and Marines,” Elfres said. “Diversity and inclusion allow our academy to not only reflect what our country looks like, but also to be important for mission preparation and strong national security.”
The fair enrollment students also brought positive actions to challenge the case that brought the Landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2023.
The conservative majority of the High Court has largely banned racial and ethnic considerations in university admissions, increased opportunities for historically marginalized groups, and ended a long-standing practice intended to send shockwaves through higher education. However, it opens up potential exemptions for military academies and suggests that national security interests could affect legal analysis.
The fair enrollment student later sued the Annapolis-based Naval Academy to challenge the exemption. However, Judge Richard Bennett rejected their argument, saying the school “established persuasive national security interests for a diverse corps of officers.”
Group lawyers argued that prioritizing minority candidates during trial is unfair to qualified white applicants and that cohesion should arise from other sources such as training and command structures.
The Academy then argued that the admission process, according to court testimony, took into account many factors including grades, extracurricular activities, life experience, and socioeconomic status. Racing often did not play a role in this process, but sometimes it was considered in a “limited way,” academy lawyers wrote in court documents.
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